Romeo and Cinderella
by WolfyMagician
Summary: Sally's future is suddenly ruined when her father/creator forces her to marry some unknown tyrant in a far away kingdom! Will Jack give up the best Halloween ever to crash the horrid wedding? Who will Sally choose? Will she be Juliet or Cinderella?
1. Chapter 1

**Romeo and Cinderella **

Sally frowned.

She curiously pressed her palm against the surface of the mirror before her. Looking at her reflection, she could see a timid, blue woman facing her, wearing the most extravagant dark-purple-and-black dress, the onyx corset hugging her upper body tightly. Her chest was...well, somewhat_ bigger_ when something was _pushing_ it up. But, in her state of nervousness, she paid it no mind.

Self-consciously, the rag-doll tried to pull down the ends of her ragged dress to _past_ her mid-thighs. When it unsuccessfully stayed in place, she groaned softly, clenching her gloved hands. _Great._ The thing was already strapless! Why did the only dress she could find be so revealing?

Again, she peered into the odd mirror.

Was this the last she would see of herself like this in her very short afterlife? It might be the last she'll see herself _happy_. Or at least, unmarried.

If she was married to Jack Skellington, she would have most certainly been thrilled. Definitely.

But, she wasn't, was she?

The wedding march began to play faintly and the lone door opened behind her. She could try to flee, but the glass, bloodstone 'slippers' would probably prevent her from going too far. Heck, she could barely walk on _heelless_ shoes let alone _breakable_ ones.

Still...she couldn't help but wonder...

Her heart would always be with Jack. Always, until the very end.

He knew that.

So why _hadn't_ he reached out and claimed it?

* * *

**A/N: Eh, I was alone in the car with writing materials. What to do? This is by far the shortest piece of writing I've ever done. Should I go on?**

**(If you knew where I got the title, beware! ;])**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas, despite all my fan-girlish obsession.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Waking Up****

* * *

**

_Four Days Ago..._

**"JACK! WHERE ARE YOU? THERE ARE ONLY FIVE DAYS TILL NEXT HALLOWEEEN!"**

**_"Four!"_**

**"ALREADY? JA-A-CK! I NEED HELP!"**

Jack Skellington groaned, throwing the soft blanket over his head. His windows, though expertly covered by the thickest of curtains, simply refused to block out all the sunlight from the outside. He had made to turn them_ soundproof _as well, but unfortunately, the same person who had caused him to_ forget_ doing so was also making him _regret_ not doing so. What he would _give_ to just get lost within the sheets...

Yawning, he turned so he could snuggle with the calm figure next to him, carefully wrapping his bony arms around her. Hopefully, she wouldn't awaken just yet, despite the yelling from a certain politician. The poor girl had already been sleep-deprived!

"Mmm..." Sally moaned, tilting her head. Eyes closed, she subconsciously moved closer to her boyfriend. Her hands could feel his smooth ribs, his perfection. Ah, she was probably dreaming once more...she _loved_ the dream last night...

Her eyes snapped open.

"J-Jack?" she whispered, watching as his features grew warmer at the sight of her. Laughing, he leaned down to peck her lips softly.

"'Morning, Love. Sleep well?" He grinned coyly, running his fingers through her beautiful, blood-red hair.

"Naturally," Sally breathed back, intertwining their fingers. Smiling, she pulled the Pumpkin King nearer and pressed her lips against his, seeking reassurance that this wasn't another dream of hers, that this wasn't just an imagination.

He replied all too willingly, enjoying the feel of her bare skin underneath his bones. Her warmth seemed to envelop him, causing reality to fade momentarily and allow the two lovers to just hold each other close.

Jack could _feel _every single one of Sally's heartbeats. Her touches seemed to leave a burning sensation all over, causing him to growl in approval. She completed him. It was a fact he was very pleased with. Who else could truly bring him this much happiness besides her? In fact, had the Mayor _not_ thrown his megaphone trough his window and rudely interrupted them, Jack might've proposed then and there.

**"JACK! MY MEGAPHONE IS MISSING!"**

"I think we found it," Sally gasped through the kisses, feeling the sudden chill of cold air. She hurriedly sat up and pulled the covers around her now-shaking body. "You should get dressed soon," she added as they heard a dull crash from the outside.

"Do I have to?" moaned Jack tiredly, trying and failing to rise into a sitting position. He grinned suddenly upon seeing his girlfriend's adorable, sleepy face. "I have something else in mind," he whispered suggestively, raising his would-be eyebrows several times.

Sally could only giggle. "Silly."

* * *

Love was a _grand _thing.

If one had asked Jack about a year ago what he thought of it, or if he had found a suitable lady to marry, he would have simply laughed at the idea. At that time, he wouldn't have cared at all. Being the _most_ eligible bachelor of Halloween Town did have its perks!

Last year, all he really seemed to worry about was Halloween and why it had become so _boring _to him.

Then _woosh!_ Christmas had come and gone (quite horribly, if he could say so himself) and a beautiful woman instead took its place.

_Sally._

How could he have been so inattentive?

Normally, when one sees a girl who holds _such_ looks and character, they would have courted her as soon as possible, right? _Right!_ So why hadn't he? Heck, why hadn't _any _other male present? Not that he was complaining, but there should have at least been _one_ person who had seen Sally's potential.

Well, it didn't matter right now; she was his and he planned on keeping it that way. Besides, marriage appeared to be the only thing they haven't done yet.

_At least for now._

He was hoping to propose underneath the moonlight on their very special spot at the top of Spiral Hill that coming Halloween, hopefully right before he left for the mortal world. _"To bring good luck,"_ he had explained to the Mayor when he was caught red-handed with the ring outside his house days prior. Unfortunately, said politician was less than pleased; in his opinion, Jack would only be distracted throughout the whole night if (and when) Sally agreed to be his wife, and therefore would not be as scary as the Pumpkin King should.

Though Jack had brushed the comment off, he couldn't help but wonder whether he would _soften_ up after he officially became a married man.

Ah well, he'd still be frightening.

* * *

A short figure sat peacefully on his wheelchair, contently reading through the many names on some envelops he had received that morning. He distinctly caught sight of "Mayor," "Helgamine," "Jack Skellington," and "Mr. Corpse" consecutively as he glanced through. Normally, he would have had Sally read them (no doubt they were useless) and reply with a manner most fit for someone with too much to do in their life, but since she was off with her new _boyfriend_...

"Wait...what the..?"

A letter from _him_?

_Why_? What could _he_ possibly _want_?

* * *

**A/N: As of now, I will continue on with this fic. Heheheh, I'm trying! Ah, I fail...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Why?**

* * *

Doctor Finklestein was _not_ one to be nervous.

As the only mad scientist/genius in Halloween Town, one who could produce the most frightening of demons to match the Pumpkin King (with the exception of a certain rag-roll), he was known to typically show emotions short of cold and heartless. Was he terrifying? Yes, when angered. Did he scare others? His monsters do, and he could always intimidate using them. A respected man? Him?

Naturally.

Jack Skellington would _bow_ down to him if he only used his daughter-creation as the deal-breaker. What love_ does_ to a monster...

Yet...why was he feeling so _anxious_?

After re-reading the letter several times, using all methods he knew of unraveling hidden writings or things of that sort, there was no doubt in his perfectly-developed mind that _he_ was returning soon.

It was a fact the old man could only dream to ignore. There were endless possibilities as to why _he_ would make a sudden come-back—possibilities he'd rather not imagine.

Surely it wasn't because of their deal?

"My, God, that was years ago!" Finklestein yelled to himself angrily, slamming a fist onto his worktable. Several beakers shook, and he distinctly saw the liquids in them change color. "I thought he died."

But no. The message was delivered just that morning to him without a return address, name, or any sign that it had been processed through the local post office. Clearly someone had taken their time to journey to his home and personally place a single, plain letter into his mailbox.

If that was the case, then _he_ might be visiting anytime that day.

"You better not _demand_ anything from me..."

* * *

"Good morning!" called Sally out to the local band playing near the wall leading to the graveyard. She waved cheerfully at them, smiling at the kind replies she received. An empty basket in her hand and a list in the other, she carefully strolled over to the large fountain in the middle of town. Surrounding it were most of the stores and homes, and the Town Hall in the center. Several of the residents often socialized in that spot, and today was no exception—by the time Sally arrived, the witches and Undersea Gal were already gossiping about the rumors concerning Lock and Shock's budding romance.

"Those two will _definitely_ get along better!"

"Hopefully they'll have the decency to keep their little affairs to themselves."

"Ooh, what about the third boy? The chubby one?"

"I guess he'll have to find somebody else..."

Sally inwardly rolled her eyes at this; after the demise of the evil Oogie Boogie, the trio of tricksters decided that they were free to cause all the mayhem they so desired, which predictably was _too much_ for anyone to handle. Unfortunately, their new-found freedom resulted in the almost-destruction of Town Hall and the mayor himself. Though Jack was not one to yell, threaten, and harshly reprimand children (all at once), he did not hesitate to do so when he found Lock, Shock, and Barrel happily giggling at the mass chaos they had caused. Without missing a beat, the three had cowered in fear and wasted no time in promising their future good behavior to the annoyed ruler (and probably crossing their fingers in the process).

It had been a year since, and yet the only changes visible in the kids seemed to be a few inches taller on each of their heights and maybe some loss of baby fat. Attitude and mindset wise, they were the same.

The women could say whatever they wanted, but Sally knew Boogie's Boys would no sooner start to have romantic attractions for the opposite gender (much less someone they grew up with) than they would promise to give up pranks altogether.

They had an_ eternity_ to fall in love, anyway.

"Sally! Out on an errand?"

Startled out of her thoughts, Sally turned around to come face-to-face with a grinning Hanging Tree with all its Hanging Men. Relieved at seeing a good friend, she returned the smile. "Yes, actually. I have a few things I need to buy."

"Best go to the Corpse's—their rotten apples are _ancient_," he told her in his gruff yet friendly voice. Much like Sally, he wasn't as well-known in the town as the mayor or Jack. If anything, most only saw him once or twice a week. Perhaps their shyness was the main reason he and the rag-doll were such good friends; it was easy to understand each other.

"Mmm. I should try that...I was thinking of making pie anyway."

"I'm sure it'll turn out just fine. Well, I'll best be off, Sally. Nice to see you." The skeletons on the tree waved as the Hanging Tree departed towards the cemetery.

"Good-bye!" Sally called after him. She barely managed to turn back around before she felt a small impact in her front, pushing her backwards slightly. _"Mmph!"_

"Oh, sorry, miss," a smooth voice said, causing her to look up. She was then greeted with the sight of an attractive, pale-white man with dark-purple hair and cold, gray eyes. _Odd_. He didn't look like he belonged there.

Had she even_ seen_ him before?

"Oh. Oh, no,_ I_ should be the one apologizing..." she trailed off lamely, crumpling the paper in her hand for something better to do. For some reason, she felt uneasy around the man. There was something..._off_ about him.

_Unnatural._

"Let's not worry about it, then. A beautiful lady like yourself should never have to be at fault for a silly mistake on my part." He flashed a smile and waved vaguely towards the direction opposite to them. "You wouldn't happen to know who Doctor Finklestein is, would you?"

"The Doctor? Oh, yes, I know him very well..." She couldn't bring herself to admit that he was her father, though. Not just that, but she didn't want this guy to know more about her than he should. His presence confused much her more than just a random stranger's should.

_Why?_

"How about his current residence?"

"Y-yes, he lives at that tall building over _there_. See? It's the one with the really large window. The path's just behind _that_ wall."

"Ah, I _do_ see. So he hasn't moved...Very well, I thank you for your assistance." With a small smile, he bowed his head slightly to her and offered a hand. Sally saw this as a gesture for a handshake, but when she placed her small hand in his, the man took it and brought it to his lips.

At once, she felt an ice-cold chill and her vision became blurry. Everything darkened and faded, and instead, she found herself holding a silver ring with a blood-red jewel in the middle. She couldn't take her eyes off of it. Slowly, a small crack began to form, trailing a small line across the middle. The stone unceremoniously cracked and the broken prices resembled a crudely-shaped heart.

It disintegrated and the stone-less ring slowly reappeared as the infamous wedding band. Writing carved itself onto the inside of it, and Sally stared in horror as the words glowed like flames about to explode:

_Save me from this tragedy._

* * *

**A/N: Hey! I actually updated!**

**I'm sorry I haven't done anything with this story for a while now, by the way. Heh.**

**Oh, yes, if anybody wants to see LockXShock or BarrelXShock action, please let me know. That way I could incorporate it into the story. But if not, I'll just stick to small hints and whatnot. ;]**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**


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